The Globe and Mail profiled technology and other approaches that help people with neuromuscular disorders (like cerebral palsy) or traumatic brain injuries to speak. It’s called augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and includes electronic devices with word-prediction properties and assistants who interpret gestures, blinks and verbalizing. Several key points were made at a recent 90 minute town hall for the AAC community: 1)We are all just a moment away from a life-long disability (so true), 2)people with voices need to be more patient when listening to those with disabilities, and not assume their brains are slow because their voices are (this, more than anything, infuriated me when I had a voice problem), and 3)people with vocal disabilities need to get to the point quickly, to counteract the fact that their speech is often slower and more deliberate. Good points all around.